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very person begins and ends with a story—an expression of mo- ments gathered up and shared with a purpose. This particular story is about an Oklahoma boy who grew up knowing exactly what his purpose in life would be: to entertain those around him.

Whether he is crooning ballads made popular by Sinatra or telling his audience about his life—Wade Tower entertains with an authenticity that brings simultaneous laughter and tears. At the age of 4, Tower did his fi rst neighborhood tour perched atop his dad’s suitcase.

“I’ve been performing in church since I was 5 years old and fi gured out pretty early on that I could sing,” Tower said. “I grew up wanting to be a star—act, sing, do all of those things.” After graduating from high school in Stillwater, it seemed a natural choice

that Tower would attend Oklahoma State University. He landed a scholar- ship in theater and then secured a role in an ABC movie being fi lmed in Oklahoma City called “Surviving.” That movie role led him to pursue a career in Los Angeles for a short time. A handful of fi lms later and Tower was called home to act for a fi lm set in Oklahoma. “At the end of the day, I’ll always choose Oklahoma because of my daugh- ters,” Tower, a Central Rural Electric Cooperative member, said. “I want them to grow up here where people are nice, welcoming and generous. In my opinion, Oklahoma is the truest representation of what America should be.” Throughout his life, those around him could tell Tower was born to be at the center of attention. “We went to high school together and Wade tried out for the lead in every musical,” John Wilguess said. “No one can deny he is a natural-born performer.” These days, any time Tower doesn’t spend ‘crooning,’ he shares his story in a way that entertains and raises awareness for a cause close to his heart.

If viewing our digital edition, click here to see a video of Wade Tower performing. Access our digital edition at www.ok-living.coop or fi nd our FREE app at the Apple Newsstand, Google Play or Amazon.

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“When Candice and I got married, I was 30 and she was 26 and we wanted to start a family right away,” Tower said. “We tried everything and it just wasn’t happening.” During this time, Tower and his wife fostered two girls through the

Cheyenne-Arapaho tribe. “We heard they needed families so we fostered two sweet little girls for the summer,” Tower said. “They were absolutely incredible and after the summer was over they moved back in with their mother.” Shortly after the Towers’ doctor told them they would be unable to get pregnant, the child welfare director they were working with put them in touch with a birth mother. “We don’t usually get a lot of notice before we have kids,” Tower joked.

“Two weeks after the initial meeting, we were at the hospital bringing home our fi rst baby girl.” Their second daughter came home from Deaconess hospital three years

later. While their fi rst two children have been with them since birth, the Towers’ third daughter found them a little later in life. “About three years ago, my wife got a call from a girl she had taught in second grade,” Tower said. “She is truly a special kid.” The 19-year-old worked to support herself while she took college courses

online. After everyone got to know each other really well, the Towers’ asked her if she would like to be a part of their family. “Her response was very similar to ‘The Blind Side,’” Tower laughed, “She

just said ‘I thought I already was.’” The Towers already consider her their own, but the formal adoption will

be fi nalized by the end of the year. “Adoption is a huge part of our lives,” Tower said. “There’s still a lot of misunderstanding and people don’t fully grasp the concept at times.” Tower and his wife make themselves available to tell their adoption story

as much as possible in the hopes that people will understand what it is all about.